Vol. 1

MODELS TO INSPIRE FUTURE CHAMPIONS OF BUSINESS

LEADING ENTERPRISES AND ENTREPRENEURS

Vol. 1

MODELS TO INSPIRE FUTURE CHAMPIONS OF BUSINESS

LEADING ENTERPRISES AND ENTREPRENEURS

INT

RO

DU

CT

ION

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

2 | 3

Barcelona has a business ecosystem that is open to the world, diversified, generating opportunities. At times like the present, such an ecosystem is an invaluable asset that we should foster and promote. That is why we must make our city ever more business-friendly, helping to create an environment that encourages the establishment and growth of companies through policies to provide support to SMEs, entrepreneurs and self-employed people.

The municipal authority works to ensure that our city provides the necessary con-ditions and opportunities to guarantee a business ecosystem that can become an economic dynamo in the future. The success of our business sector gener-ates employment and wealth that will contribute to an economic reactivation that is now more than ever vital for our country.

In response to the need for action in an economic climate that is full of chal-lenges but also of opportunities, our priorities include working with the main economic and social stakeholders and with the knowledge society to urgently find measures to reactivate the local and metropolitan economy.

It was to this end that the Barcelona Creixement («Barcelona Growth») Round Table was established in July 2011. Barcelona Creixement is an initiative led by the City Council aimed at bringing all major players together, acting quickly to find new ways of restarting the economy. As a result, some 130 experts from different fields proposed 30 measures, such as, for example, promoting appre-ciation of the values and role played by entrepreneurs and launching a business acceleration program for the 30 compa-nies with the highest growth potential.

The book you now hold in your hands provides a good example of all this. The publication contains case studies of ten Catalan businesses that have carved themselves a place amongst the world’s most important enterprises, becoming leaders in their respective sectors. These are examples that should help to guide and motivate entrepreneurs, encourag-ing them to grow and think big, to dare to put good ideas into practice in the knowledge that the public authorities will accompany them along the way.

Xavier TriasMayor of Barcelona

CO

NT

EN

TS

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

4 | 5

6LEADING ENTERPRISES

AND ENTREPRENEURS

10TOUS

ROSA ORIOL & SALVADOR TOUSThe Growth of a Brand

18GRUPO PLANETA

JOSÉ MANUEL LARA HERNÁNDEZRevolution in the Publishing Industry

24BODEGAS TORRES

MIGUEL A. TORRESWine’s Last Name

32GRUPO INDUKERN

JOSÉ L. DÍAZ-VARELAVocation, Entrepreneur

38NATURA BISSÉ

RICARDO FISAS:Reinventing Yourself at 50

46HAVAS MEDIA

LEOPOLDO RODÉSAdvertising Personified

52GRUPO PRONOVIAS

ALBERTO PALATCHIThe Ability to Create Trends

60EXPO HOTELES & RESORTS

ANTONIO MESTREFrom Carpenter to Hotelier

68FLUIDRA

ELOI PLANESObsession with Internationalization

74MANGO

ISAK ANDICThe Virtue of Seeing the Future

Business growth generates economic activity and stimulates the social environments in which it occurs. Many internationally recognized examples of such activity are found in Barcelona and its area of influence. At first, they tend to be highly personal business projects, closely linked to the enter-prising individuals who first establish them. Through hard work and dedicati-on, however, the most brilliant projects carve out a place for themselves amongst the world’s most important enterprises, becoming leaders in their respective sectors.

Behind these key enterprises lie experi-ences and personal histories that can explain how their success was achieved. Understanding these experiences can also help to guide other entrepreneurs and business ventures for which growth is the goal. This is one of the key prem-ises behind aXelera for global eXcellence, a program promoted by Barcelona City Council through Barcelona Activa. This book describes the exemplary growth achieved by ten local firms that have now become global benchmarks.

LEADING ENTERPRISES AND ENTREPRENEURS

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

6 | 7

The aXelera for global eXcellence program is aimed at enterprises in Barcelona Metropolitan Area that are innovative, have high potential for growth and the generation of wealth and employment and that may, one day, become a global reference for the city. The program seeks to identify and select the most outstanding firms, promoting and supporting them. This ambitious initiative is supervised by an Advisory Board, whose members are all out-standing personalities in the world of business, finance, investment and the institutions in Catalonia. In some cases, board members also act as «corporate mentors», guiding participants through-out the program process. The companies selected as part of the first call for pro-posals also had the chance to develop customized business plans, under the constant supervision of the consultants Ernst & Young, who advised them on new action strategies to increase their attractiveness to potential new investors and clients.

As it has developed, the aXelera program has also enabled us to identify the keys that allow firms to find the levers of change necessary to successfully em-bark on a process of sustained growth. These keys include the need to think big and to constantly review the positioning of products on the market, as well as stressing the importance of specialist professional know-how. The ultimate goal of the program is that, one day, some of the participating businesses may become like those selected for this book: the entrepreneurial champions of our economy.

The purpose of this book is to explore the challenge of growing a business through in-depth interviews with the founders of ten companies selected for this first volume and that, as we have mentioned, have become global benchmarks. Impor-tant lessons can be learned from their experiences: lessons about teamwork, sacrifice and ambition, values that the entrepreneurs interviewed all share. These are amongst the values that have enabled them to position their busi-nesses as international references. The importance of thinking big, of daring to put good ideas into practice or of making difficult things simple: these are just a few of the lessons that can be learned from the interviews that follow.

The successful business people fea-tured in this selection also talk about the need to surround oneself with a good team and to trust its members; to improve every day, and to make large changes every so often; and to establish an international presence and be pre-sent in many different markets in order to overcome tricky situations. There is no single recipe, nor are results obtained immediately. That is why the protago-nists of these success stories are also examples of self-belief and the courage to reinvent themselves at all times, even if it means beginning again.

The companies that these entrepre-neurs lead stand out for the growth and international status that they have achieved. Each of these business initia-tives boasts at least one great merit that has earned recognition. Planeta is the number one publishing group in Spain and Latin America; Mango is amongst the top exporters in the textile and cloth-ing sector; Bodegas Torres manages the largest area of vineyards in the Penedès wine-making region; Pronovias designs and markets wedding gowns worldwide; Indukern manufactures a huge product range and has established an important international presence; Media Planning forms part of Havas Media, one of the world’s leading media groups; Natura Bissé is a cosmetics company which exports more than half its production; Tous stands out, amongst many other virtues, for its nearly 400 stores distrib-uted around the world; Expo Hoteles & Resorts is a chain of large and exclusive establishments; and Fluidra, a group de-voted to sustainable water use, markets its goods and services worldwide.

The purpose of this first volume, then, is to recognize and make more widely known exemplary cases as recounted by the prime movers themselves. These cases are references that require study and thought, as they can inspire other leading firms in our economy to aim for growth and globalization.

However, these ten cases also serve as examples of what our business fabric is capable of achieving. They are home-grown models of innovation, expansion and internationalization. They are companies that add to the «Barcelona brand.»

Our aim is for this book to be the first in a series, and that future additions to the collection can showcase other business ventures that have become international benchmarks. Perhaps we shall also be able to highlight in this way examples of companies that, having taken part in the aXelera for global eXcellence program, in the future will become business champions, generating economic growth in our country.

Sònia Recasens i AlsinaDeputy Mayor for Economy, Business and Employment, and President of Barcelona Activa

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

8 | 9

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

TO

US

1

0 | 1

1

ROSA ORIOL & SALVADOR TOUSFOUNDERS OF TOUS

The Growth of a Brand

Since 1920, Tous has created a jewelry style that is unique in the world. Based on the fashion jewelry concept, its creations adapt to the different moments in people’s lives. This family company, which is present in 45 countries with nearly 400 stores, owes its success to the absolutely fresh quality and the craftsmanship and innovation with which it produces 30 collections every year, using different precious metals and stones for each occasion.

TOUS

ESTABLISHED 1920

TURNOVER IN 2011 €325 M

EMPLOYEES 2,300

In order to understand the history of Tous, we need to travel back in time to Manresa 60 years ago. There, the Tous family ran a small jewelry shop that had been around forever. Just across the street, the Oriol family, friends of the jewelers, owned a shoe store. Destiny had planned a joint future for them. The children of the two families, Rosa Oriol and Salvador Tous, got married, and she started to work in the jewelry shop.

«When I was a kid, ours was the fourth or fifth jewelry shop in Manresa. When we got married, we moved up to second place, and a few years later we became the first, Salvador Tous remembers.» The store still exists today. «We have remo-deled it quite a few times, but it is still on the same street and at the same number in the Born district.»

As years went by, the workload started to increase and they decided to divide their labor. Salvador would be in charge of purchases and payments, and Rosa would design the product. «Today, I feel that this has been one of the keys to the success of Tous, because we’ve been able to work for 45 years together without interfering in each other’s business.» Rosa designed and Salvador found the money. The latter was one of the most difficult tasks back then. «Wholesalers acted as money-lenders. They were bankers. You bought gold and they financed it.» It was a time when everybody had to be on the ball and make a living. It was forbidden to import gold, silver or precious stones in their industry. «Nobody wrote bills, everything was smuggled.»

But over the years, they decided to take the first step towards Europe. «Whole-salers were different there. They made life easier for manufacturers and retail-ers because they offered the products in exchange for a commission.»

They started off with a small workshop and just a few years later, «we already manufactured almost 80% of the prod-ucts we sold.» They currently have over 100 people producing jewelry. Tous ad-mits that «we always wanted to provide our customers with something different from what can be usually found on the market, but at the same time, setting attractive prices that also allowed us to make a profit.»

In Manresa they were successful from the start. «We started out resetting pieces. People who didn’t like a jewel came to us and we changed it. In ab-solute figures, the first store sold more than now.»

People liked Tous jewels because «we paid so much attention to trends. We traveled a lot and attended trade fairs.» Tous remembers that «at fairs back then, if you were Spanish, you went last. Later they paid more attention to us.» He considers that Rosa has been the key because she notices what people are wearing. «We only look, while she sees. She notices everything.»

45Countries in which the Tous brand is present.

400Tous shops around the World.

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

TO

US

1

2 | 1

3

The next stop was Lleida. They decided to open their second store far from Manresa. They bought a flat and lived there for four years. «During the week my wife worked there and she came back to Manresa for the weekend.» This was the moment in the history of Tous where the spirit of self-sacrifice came up, a philosophy that Salvador does not find in the current world. «Freedom and sacrifice no longer exist nowadays. We don’t have freedom, and the spirit of self-sacrifice ends on Friday afternoon.» The effort paid off. They opened their third store also in Lleida before taking the big leap to Barcelona.

The Tous brand spread easily, but soon they were seized by many doubts. The couple had four daughters. «We didn’t know what to do, whether to assign one store to each or open a few more stores that they would manage together.» In the end, they chose the second option. However, a few years later they realized that it would not be just a few more stores, but many. «It would have been complicated to have four women in charge,» he points out. In the middle of this expansion pro-cess, they opened up shop in Madrid. It was 1990 and they set up on a small boulevard, across from the ABC build-ing. Twenty-one years later, there are 28 Tous stores in Madrid.

«When I was a kid, ours was the fourth or fifth jewelry shop in Manresa. When we got married, we moved up to second place, and a few years later we became the first.»

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS THE WORKERS

Salvador looks back over a profes-sional career spanning over 40 years. He admits that, over all these years, the company and its people have gone through three different phases: «In the first, the main objective was to make money, to have a nice car, a house and give a good education to our girls. In the second phase you work to get your ego boosted; that is, you like receiving acknowledgement from society or your customers. And in the last phase, which is the one we are in now, we see our work as a social responsibility towards the people in our company.» Nowadays, in the headquarters in Manresa, there are 400 employees. «If things go wrong, we get 400 families into trouble, and we don’t even want to think about that.»

WE LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES

The Tous path to success has not been easy. «We had difficult times, but they made us grow stronger.» He remembers the first time they got into debt: «It was a terrible experience because the deals with the banks were unfeasible. We asked for a year and a half credit and they said no, that we had to pay off the loan within a month. It was not fair and we had a really bad time. We learned to say no. If we couldn’t make it, we would do it later on.» Another obstacle they had to overcome was the expansion process outside Spanish borders. «We set up in the USA, in San Francisco to be precise. It didn’t work out and we lost a lot of money. Eight years later we came back and started up in Miami.» They now have six stores in the Florida area, dis-tributed between Miami, Orlando, Palm Beach and Boca Raton, and two corners at Bloomingdale’s department stores.

THE BEAR AS FIGUREHEAD

The bear has always been an image of the brand Tous. It was originally part of a collection showing more animals. The little bear achieved such relevance that it ended up becoming the symbol of the brand. «It has boosted our image, our profile, greatly. We have enjoyed more than 20 years of constant growth, to the point where, sometimes, we even thought it would swallow us up,» he admits. That is why the bear no longer occupies such a prominent place in the Tous range of products. «If we only focus on one product and some day it fails, we’ll be in trouble. It creates addiction but it can also generate rejec-tion at the same time.» Even so, people still like the bear, and Salvador uncov-ers one of their secrets. «From the very first day, we’ve offered a quality product at a very good price.»

TOWARDS A MORE COMPLETE BRAND

In the 90’s, they realized that Tous could not only sell jewels. They needed to diversify the company’s products to have more supply for their customers. «In order to be a more complete brand, we needed something more.» So they began to manufacture handbags, glasses, housewares and perfumes. «I’m really pleased with the diversification of the business. Jewels still represent 67% of our activity, handbags and leather goods 23%, and the rest is made up by watches and accessories.» Salvador considers that «we must be careful about produc-tion. Jewelry takes up no room, but handbags and accessories do.»

HIGHLIGHT

Originally part of a collection featuring other animals, the bear has always been an image of the Tous brand. The little bear achieved such relevance that it ended up becoming the symbol of the brand.

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

TO

US

1

4 | 1

5

LIVING FOR THE BUSINESS

In order to understand the business suc-cess of the Tous family, it is important to know that they have always lived for their business. «It’s part of the game. If you do something, you have to undertake it with all your enthusiasm and effort. If you do it just for the sake of something to do, it’s better not to do anything.» Besides, he admits that «working just for money is not enough motivation. And least of all with young people nowa-days, who get everything they want.» He remembers that when he was young he could not go skiing alone in his car. «I needed to look for three friends to share gas expenses. If there were only two of us, we had to go by train. Things are very different now. In order to get a company off the ground, it is indispensable to make sacrifices.»

SELLING A BRAND

But the magnitude of the company cannot be understood only through the sacrifices made. A very important aspect has been investment in market-ing, communication and public relations campaigns. Salvador admits that «we’ve got here thanks to good advertising campaigns. The problem is that you cannot see the results until you’ve spent a lot of money.» First it was Eugenia Martínez de Irujo, then Australian singer Kylie Minogue, and recently they hired Puerto Rican singer Jennifer López. «The investment in advertising became nec-essary from the day we realized that we wanted to sell a brand. We didn’t want to sell jewels; we wanted to sell Tous.» Even so, he emphasizes that behind a brand there cannot be just a publicity image. «While you are growing, it is important that customers see that there is always a face or a point of reference. Behind Apple there was Steve Jobs, behind Microsoft, Bill Gates, and behind Tous, there’s my wife and I.»

HIGHLIGHT

Over the last five years, the firm has drawn up a family protocol to prepare for the succession. The four Tous daughters are shareholders in the company, whilst Salvador and Rosa hold the majority share.

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

TO

US

1

6 | 1

7

ROSA ORIOL & SALVADOR TOUSLESSONS LEARNED

1. The importance of brand and image.

2. Investing in advertising to sell a brand.

3. Diversification of products in order to grow and reduce the risk of depending on just one product or image.

4. The social responsibility of businesspeople today.

TIME TO STEP ASIDE

Nowadays, and with plenty of work done, Salvador feels it is time for their daughters to take over. «It’s always hard to move away from day-to-day activities, but sooner or later you have to.» For the last five years, Tous has been working on a family protocol in order to prepare the succession. Their four daughters are shareholders in the company and Salvador and Rosa hold the majority ownership. Their second daughter, María Alba, who is the current president of the Board of Directors, will take over the running of the business. «Now I’m waiting for my daughter to get used to things and I’ll be gone. It’s high time for me.» Transition does not worry him a bit. «Our project has always been theirs. They have known it since they were little. They have already been in the company for more than 20 years now.» He feels it is time for him to retire, to step aside. «My father retired when I was 26. This helped me harden. If he had retired at 70, Tous wouldn’t exist. It is time for them to command the ship together with their mother.» Rosa is six years younger than Salvador and he considers that «there still are a lot of things to be done. We have always had different positions. She’s building a very strong design team which is coming on really well. If Rosa left the company, there would still be some things that would not quite work.»

«We’ve got here thanks to good advertising campaigns. The problem is that you cannot see the results until you’ve spent a lot of money.»

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

GR

UP

O P

LA

NE

TA

1

8 | 1

9

JOSÉ MANUEL LARA HERNÁN-DEZ(1914-2003). FOUNDER OF GRUPO PLANETA

Revolution in the Publishing Industry

Planeta is the largest family-owned publishing group in Spain and Latin America, the second in France and one of the leading groups in the publishing industry in Europe. It is present in more than 25 countries and has a potential audience of more than 700 million people, thanks to its works published in Spanish, French, Portuguese and Catalan. The group is also the majority shareholder in several Spanish media companies, in press radio and television.

GRUPOPLANETA

ESTABLISHED 1949

TURNOVER IN 2011 €1.772 M

EMPLOYEES 12,000

«I did the opposite of what everybody else does: I quit my job to get married because otherwise I knew my whole life would depend on that job. Then my wife and I opened an academy on installments. In the end we had three.»

«I spent the whole day with La Vanguar-dia newspaper in my hands. I read a lot of short ads to earn 500 pesetas a day. The transaction I’m most proud of is buy-ing a typewriter from one second-hand store, then selling it to another one and earning 300 pesetas.»

«But there were days when I couldn’t make a single transaction. Then I learned that Editorial Tartessos was for sale. I needed 100,000 pesetas to buy it, and I didn’t have the money. But I realized that if I sold the books in the warehouse, I could earn the amount I needed. I called it Editorial Lara and it was a success. Then the Govern-ment prohibited the outflow of foreign currency, and I got scared and sold it. I made the right decision. Then I started a paper warehouse, and suddenly I was broke. I borrowed 100,000 pesetas from the bank and with that money, with less than 100,000 pesetas, I set up Editorial

Planeta.» These are just a few biographi-cal facts gathered in several interviews with José Manuel Lara Hernández, creator of the largest Spanish-speaking publishing empire. They show an enor-mously inquiring mind and enterprising spirit. He had an powerful personality and an extraordinary instinct for busi-ness. Nothing could stop him on his way to becoming the greatest publisher in the Spanish-speaking world. «Why did I name my company Planeta, you want to know? Because it was the biggest thing I could imagine.»

When Editorial Planeta was set up (1949), the young and inexperienced José Manuel had to compete with publishing houses like Plaza, Janés and Destino. The only resources he had were those he generated each day by selling books. He had no contacts in the publishing industry, but what he did have was a huge faith in himself and the pre-cious collaboration of his main publish-ing adviser, his wife, María Teresa. His profile was very different from that of the average literary publisher in those days. In fact, that was his main competi-tive advantage.

«Look,» said José Manuel Lara years later, «I have no idea about literature. I don’t know anything about it and I don’t try to. But what I do have is the best team of advisors in Spain. And that’s be-cause I think that a publishing company cannot be run by a man who knows too much, but by a company manager. Sell-ing is the difficult thing, not publishing. There are publishers who insist on pub-lishing their own libraries. My library is just for me to read it. A publisher should publish his catalogue. The books that the readers are interested in, not those that interest him.»

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

GR

UP

O P

LA

NE

TA

2

0 | 2

1

CREATING A MARKET, FINDING NEW READERS

Where José Manuel Lara was really successful, as all his rival publishers acknowledged, was his ability to invest in a lot of sales channels at the same time, and thus, to be able to reach readers more easily, creating in them the need to read books, and offering them a product different from the rest: offering Spanish authors while the rest were offering translations of English-language authors.

Among the main landmarks in the first 25 years of Editorial Planeta’s history there are five that we should highlight particularly: the Premio Planeta, the literary novel prize created in 1952; the sale on credit of literary collections and major encyclopedic works; the first bestseller by a Spanish post-war author, The Cypresses Believe in God, by José María Gironella; the first steps of the expansion to Latin America; and the col-lectibles business.

«When I created Premio Planeta, my original idea was to provide a stepping stone to Spanish authors. Our literary scene was dominated by translations. In Spain, writing was a synonym for crying. I set out to put an end to tears and make writers earn some money so that they could turn it into time to do their thing: writing. I wanted to put an end to the ‘7 to 9 in the evening’ writer; that was the free time they had left after getting home from the job that earned them a living.» Awarded every year on the night of October 15, St. Te-resa’s day, in honor of his wife, the prize has gained great acceptance among readers and has grown exponentially over the years. The winning novels have sold more than 45,000,000 copies all together, and the prize still is the most valuable literary award, since the win-ner receives 601,000 euros.

HIGHLIGHT

Lara had a very different profile from that of the average literary publisher in those days. In fact, that difference was his main competitive advantage.

«Selling is the difficult thing, not publishing.»

THE SECOND GENERATION ARRIVES

In the 60’s, Editorial Planeta was given a fresh boost when the second generation of the Lara family joined the Company’s management, sped up by the founder’s illness. At 28, José Manuel Lara Bosch, Grupo Planeta’s current president, started another one of the activities that would allow the company to keep growing in the publishing industry and continue to make new investments. This consisted of opening a new channel to reach customers: collectibles, stories that were sold through a network of newsstands. This business line needed a powerful partner. In 1984 the company created a joint venture with the pres-tigious Italian publishing house Istituto Geográfico de Agostini, and so Planeta de Agostini was born.

HIGHLIGHT

Awarded every year on the night of October 15, St. Teresa’s Day, in honor of Lara’s wife, the Premio Planeta prize has gained great acceptance among readers and has grown exponen-tially over the years.

EXPANSION THROUGH ACQUISITIONS OF OTHER PUBLISHING COMPANIES

The expansion process started in the 80’s with acquisitions of publishing com-panies. The first was Seix Barral, which also included the Ariel imprint. Many others followed and one particularly outstanding acquisition was Destino, which had serious financial problems. All acquisitions stuck to the same principle: all publishing imprints added to Grupo Planeta maintain their personality and autonomy.

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

GR

UP

O P

LA

NE

TA

2

2 | 2

3

JOSÉ MANUEL LARA HERNÁNDEZLESSONS LEARNED

1. Don’t be scared to think big.

2. Selling is the difficult thing, not producing.

3. Know how to reach your custo-mers using the right channels.

4. Put what interests audiences onto the market, not what interests you.

DIVERSIFICATION: FROM BOOKS TO CULTURAL CONTENT

Another key moment in the history of Grupo Planeta took place in the late 90’s. Chances for growth were to be found in the media, training for professionals and audiovisual entertainment industries. The work was hard and the project, fas-cinating. Grupo Planeta became not only a publishing group, but also a provider of information, training, and cultural entertainment contents.

Despite his advanced age, José Manuel Lara Hernández continued to go into the office every day to closely follow the evolution of his publishing group. He saw how his small company, estab-lished in 1949 with 100,000 pesetas borrowed from a bank, had become a large multinational in the cultural industry, faithful to the mission that inspired it: to draw as many people as possible to become interested in the world of intellectual creation.

On May 11, 2003, after a long illness, José Manuel Lara Hernández passed away in Barcelona. His son José Manuel took over and became president of Grupo Planeta. The founder’s son currently runs a publishing group that embraces more than 100 publishing imprints in Spanish, French and Catalan, and is the leader in Spain and Latin America, the second in France, and the seventh in the world. It publishes 5,000 new works a year, has a catalogue of more than 15,000 classic and contemporary authors, and sells around 130 million books a year.

100The group includes publishing imprints in Spanish, Catalan and French.

5,000new works a year.

130millions books, both classical and contemporary, sold every year.

Grupo Planeta is also one of the three main media groups in Spain. Permanent innovation has been and continues to be a key to the group’s success from the very beginning. «Our ability to generate added value,» stresses José Manuel Lara Bosch, «is based on a strong business tradition originally linked to the book industry and culture in Spain, France and Latin America. And it goes hand in hand with the willingness to face the challenges posed by cultural and communication industries in the 21st century with an open mind regarding innovation and collaboration with other international leaders.»

«From its very beginnings, permanent innovation has always been the key to the group’s success.»

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

BO

DE

GA

S T

OR

RE

S

24

| 25

MIGUEL A. TORRESPRESIDENT OF BODEGAS TORRES

Wine’s Last Name

Bodegas Torres is a leading company in the wine and brandy industry. With more than one hundred vineyards and an area of over 1,594 hectares only in spain, Torres is the family-owned business with the most wine-growing land in the Penedès Denomination of Origin. Bodegas Torres is currently present in more than 140 countries and has an export rate of 72%.

BODEGASTORRES

ESTABLISHED 1870

TURNOVER IN 2011 €215 M

EMPLOYEES 1,300

The Torres surname has been linked to wine for more than three centuries, when they planted the first vines in Vilafranca del Penedès. Bodegas Torres was born in 1870 as an exporting company, and has managed to remain strong, generation after generation, despite changes in trends, crazes, and economic circumstances. What is the secret of its success? Bringing together tradition and new trends in business and wine with a single objective: leading the top-quality wine and brandy industry.

Nowadays the family business, run by Miguel A. Torres, a fourth-generation member of the Torres family, and directed by his son Miguel Torres Mac-zassek since September 2012, markets over 50 brands and is present in more than 140 countries in the world. In Spain, the company owns vineyards in the de-

nominations of origin Penedès, Conca de Barberà, Priorat, Jumilla and Costers del Segre, and wineries in Penedès, Priorat, Ribera del Duero and La Rioja. On the international level, it has wineries and vineyards in Chile (Central Valley and Cu-ricó Valley) and in California (USA), where Marimar Torres (fourth generation) manages the winery Marimar Estate and vineyards in the areas of the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast.

The origins of the Torres family in the Penedès date back to the 17th century, when there are records of ancestors cultivating vineyards and marketing wines on a small scale. But it was not until 1870, when Jaime Torres Vendrell returned from Cuba, where he had emigrated years earlier in search of his fortune, that he and his brother Miguel Torres Vendrell started to build their first winery in Vilafranca del Penedès.

50different Torres brands.

140Countries with the presence of Torres products.

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

BO

DE

GA

S T

OR

RE

S

26

| 27

HIGHLIGHT

The origins of the Torres family in the Penedès date back to the 17th century, when there are records of ancestors cultivating vineyards and marketing wines on a small scale.

The family business, run by Miguel A. Torres, a fourth-generation member of the Torres family, markets over 50 brands and is present in more than 140 countries around the world.

In 1979, Torres acquired a new winery in the Central Valley of Chile (Curicó), the first to be established by a foreign company in Chile. Four years later, the brand’s international dimension was further increased by the acquisition of vineyards in Sonoma Valley (California).

HIGHLIGHT

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

BO

DE

GA

S T

OR

RE

S

28

| 29

INTERNATIONAL PROJECTION

Around the end of the 19th century, Tor-res wines gained great prestige in places as far away as Cartagena de Indias, Santiago de Cuba, Veracruz, Bremen, Hamburg and Saint Petersburg.

The Torres family’s eagerness to in-novate led them to dedicate themselves not only to wine production, but also to brandy distillation, with Juan Torres Casals as the major driving force in the 20’s. This success was shattered in 1939, during the Spanish Civil War, when the wineries were destroyed.

With the efforts of Miguel Torres Carbó and the help of his wife Margarita, the wineries were rebuilt, boosting the company’s international renown. In 1979, Torres acquired a new winery in the Central Valley of Chile (Curicó), which was the first one established by a foreign company in Chile. Four years later, its international dimension was increased by the acquisition of vineyards in Sonoma Valley (California) and the building of a winery where Marimar Tor-res currently produces chardonnay and pinot noir wines.

Today, the fourth generation of the Torres family is represented by the presi-dent of the company, Miguel A. Torres, vice-presidents Juan M. A. Torres and Marimar Torres, and the fifth generation is represented by Arnau Torres Rosselló, Mireia Torres Maczassek and Miguel Torres Maczassek, managing director of the company since September 2012.

Since the mid-90’s, Bodegas Torres has been present on the Asian market. It is currently the second largest wine distribution company in China, with a turnover of more than 16.16 million eu-ros (2010 data), and it is present in India too, through a joint venture with Indian and British partners. Bodegas Torres also has shareholdings in companies in Mexico (Bodegas La Negrita), the United Kingdom (John Fells & Sons), Norway (Torres & Partners Norway), Finland (Wine State Oy), Andorra (Syspony Distribució), Brazil (Relocco), Canada (MT Canada) and the USA (Dreyfus & Sons). Additionally, it has subsidiaries in Sweden (MT Sverige) and the USA (MT USA Inc).

With the efforts of Miguel Torres Carbó and the help of his wife Margarita, the wineries were rebuilt, boosting the company’s international renown.

CONSTANT INNOVATION

In order to maintain its position in the market, Bodegas Torres goes in for permanent innovation. Among the projects started, it is worth highlight-ing Cénit-Deméter, a project led by the wine company with the participation of 26 Spanish companies linked to the wine industry and 31 Spanish research groups. The project, co-financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the Center for Tech-nological and Industrial Development (CDTI), investigates the influence of climate change on the ripening process of grapes.

In this regard, Bodegas Torres devel-ops the company’s own environmental project (Torres & Earth), to mitigate the effects of climate change. Bodegas Torres is working on another research project involving the recovery of ances-tral varieties that have been disap-pearing from Catalan vineyards. Every year during vintage, the family-owned company publishes ads in local papers requesting vine-growers to contact them if they find some vine that they are un-able to identify. Some of these vines, like the one called garró, have already been incorporated into the blending of some of Torres brands, especially to the Grans Muralles wine.

Torres states that one of its objectives for the future is to consolidate its mar-kets –especially China, India, and Bra-zil– as well as to boost its Chilean winery in order to grow in the USA and the United Kingdom. «The company’s main markets are the United Kingdom, the Baltic Countries and Germany, although we consider that it is in the USA that we have the highest future potential.»

HIGHLIGHT

Amongst the research projects that Bodegas Torres is engaged in is an initiative aimed at reviving ancestral varieties that are disappearing from Catalan vineyards. Some of these grapes, such as garró, have already been incorporated into the blending of some Torres wine, especially the Grans Muralles brand.

«The company’s main markets are the United Kingdom, the Baltic Countries and Germany, although we consider that it is in the USA that we have the highest future potential.»

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

BO

DE

GA

S T

OR

RE

S

30

| 31

PROMOTING WINE CULTURE

With the aim of fostering wine culture, the Torres Visitor Center was born. It opened in 1992 in Pacs del Penedès to publicize the winery’s production and the family tradition. The Center currently receives more than 90,000 visitors a year, making it one of the most-visited wineries in Europe.

Apart from the Visitor Center, Torres also manages the so-called «Torres Work-shops» in Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Gran Canar-ia, where wine and wine-tasting courses are given. The group has also opened «Vinotecas Torres», bistro-style locales offering the perfect combination of good food and excellent wine in Barcelona, Santiago de Chile and Shanghai.

Additionally, Bodegas Torres has its own Foundation, set up in 1986, with the aim of promoting environmental preserva-tion and the protection of children through the building of schools and shelters for orphans in the USA, Mexico, Chile, the Philippines and India.

MIGUEL A. TORRESLESSONS LEARNED

1. The ability to continue innovating every day based on traditional, classical products.

2. How to successfully manage the internationalization of a traditional business.

3. The importance of identifying the company’s image with social concerns and trends.

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

GR

UP

O I

ND

UK

ER

N

32

| 33

JOSÉ L.DÍAZ¯VARELAPRESIDENT OF GRUPO INDUKERN

Vocation, Entrepreneur

The group is mainly made up of three companies: Indukern, Laboratorios Calier and Kern Pharma, and their subsidiaries. Indukern stands out for the diversity of its products, its wide international presence, and its constant enterprising strategy. In 2010, turnover was 575 million euros. In 2011, the company’s turnover was 650 million euros.

GRUPOINDUKERN

ESTABLISHED 1962

TURNOVER IN 2011 €650 M

EMPLOYEES 1,456

José L. Díaz-Varela’s business career started very early. When he was only 18 years old, he left his homeland, Galicia, and moved to Venezuela with his family. Two years later, he decided to start making a living as a pharmaceutical sales representative. His ability to get on well with people opened a lot of doors for him and soon he found his place in the Venezuelan business network. A few years later, at 21, he joined the company Industrial Kern of Venezuela. This proved to be a key event in his personal and, especially, professional development.

The company represented many chemi-cal and pharmaceutical companies in Venezuela and Díaz-Varela soon won the confidence of his boss, Mr. Kern. His sales increased each month and the figures made him one of the best sales-men in the company. At 22, and with a consolidated customer portfolio, he sug-gested Mr. Kern open a branch in Spain. «He trusted me and decided to invest the capital necessary for us to set up in Spain.» As Díaz-Varela admits, «I have always been eager to grow, innovate, take on challenges. Mr. Kern saw a young entrepreneur in me.»

GOING INTO PRODUCTION

With Mr. Kern’s consent, Díaz-Varela traveled to Spain for three months and settled in Barcelona. He researched the market thoroughly and reached the conclusion that the fine chemicals industry was a good market niche for the company. Thus, in 1962 he set up Industrial Kern Española. With the profits obtained, he bought 24% of the company’s shares. In 1968 the company attracted the interest of some American businessmen. «They became shareholders and a few years later Mr. Kern sold everything and I continued just with the Americans.» In 1976, José L. Díaz-Varela became the sole shareholder of Industrial Kern. He bought 50% of the shares owned by the Americans and ended up running the company. He admits that from that mo-ment on the company «really started to grow,» coinciding with its strong entry into the veterinary industry. Díaz-Varela established Laboratorios Calier, spe-cializing in the manufacture and mar-keting of medicines for this industry. In fact, one of the keys to its success was to start producing many of the brands that he had only marketed before.

«I have always been eager to grow, innovate, take on challenges. Mr. Kern saw a young entrepreneur in me.»

One of the keys to success was to start producing many of the brands that they had only marketed previously.

HIGHLIGHT

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

GR

UP

O I

ND

UK

ER

N

34

| 35

BECOMING A LEADER

In Díaz-Varela’s opinion, he has always taken an entrepreneurial approach to things. He remembers that just a few months after arriving in Venezuela, he set up a table football business. «I rented table football games to bars and we shared out the takings at the end of the day.» Díaz-Varela gained a lot of experience. «I understood the philoso-phy of buying and selling. I wanted to be a businessman.»

As years went by, Grupo Indukern be-came the leading company in its activity industries. The expansion did not stop and the company became a multina-tional. Daily activity became frenetic and Díaz-Varela admits that he started to delegate when he turned 50. He was lucky to be able to delegate to his chil-dren years later, around 1997-1998. The three of them studied business admin-istration. His son Raúl is currently the company’s CEO. Díaz-Varela emphasizes how lucky he was to be able to delegate to someone that he trusted. «Since they were just kids we taught them the busi-ness philosophy that both my wife and I had. We shared with them the achieve-ments, crises, trips, and everything we did. It was essential in order for them to be able to start to work with us, of their own will.» So that they understood the company, Díaz-Varela sent them two years to Hong Kong. «This experience really helped them to mature.»

THE IMPORTANCE OF PERSONAL RELATIONS

The 80’s were very prolific for the com-pany, which established branches in Portugal, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Norway. One of Díaz-Varela’s maxims is «give the maximum to all my customers, offering them complete service, always answering all their requests.» Díaz-Varela considers that personal relations have been essential in his professional career. «Being in contact with the cus-tomer is the key to the success of any business.»

Díaz-Varela admits that he has a special feeling about his mentor, Mr. Kern. That is why he kept his name after the body of shareholders disappeared. «It is a way to thank him for all he did for me. Trusting a 20-year-old was not easy: he did it and I will always be grateful to him for it.»

«Give the maximum to all my customers, offering them complete service, always answering all their requests.»

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

GR

UP

O I

ND

UK

ER

N

36

| 37

JOSÉ L. DÍAZ-VARELALESSONS LEARNED

1. Work, work, and more work.

2. The importance of delegating to someone you trust.

3. Business is a marathon, there is no hurry.

4. Being in contact with customers is the key to the success of any business.

NO SALES, NO SALVATION

José L. Díaz-Varela has devoted almost all his life to the company. «I never bought myself anything. I rented many years.» He explains that they started to distribute dividends just 8 or 9 years ago. «We have always believed that this was a marathon. There was no rush. We knew that if we worked six days a week, it would pay off.» Above all, he stresses «working, working and keep working. For me it is the first rule of success and survival in business. Whims will come eventually.» Moreover, Díaz-Varela con-siders that businessmen must never be pleased. «Dissatisfaction is a constant motivator. The wish to improve should be the reason. It is essential in order to keep on learning each day, to grow.»

Grupo Indukern currently has about 1,456 employees around the world, including almost 970 working in Spain. Díaz-Varela thinks: «we’ve been able to connect the spiritual with the material, to dream while keeping our feet on the ground, to give incentives and set an example.» He highlights that «we’ve achieved harmony.» He does not think of himself as an especially smart man, but he does consider himself «very determined, hard-working and respon-sible. This allows you to earn people’s respect.»

«Dissatisfaction is a constant motivator. The wish to improve should be the reason. It is essential in order to keep on learning each day, to grow.»

1,456people work for Grupo Indukern worldwide.

970 employees in Spain.

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

NA

TU

RA

BIS

SÉ

3

8 | 3

9

RICARDOFISAS(1929-2012). FOUNDER OF NATURA BISSÉ

Reinventing Yourself at 50

Natura Bissé is the leading company in innovation and development of facial and body cosmetics. The Diamond Collection, with over 300 references in the world, represents 25% of the company’s business. Natura Bissé has subsidiaries in the USA, Mexico, Dubai and the United Kingdom. It is currently present in 25 countries, and 59% of turnover is generated abroad.

NATURABISSÉ

ESTABLISHED 1979

TURNOVER IN 2011 €36 M

EMPLOYEES 230

Ricardo Fisas was born in 1929 and studied at a Jesuit school, an order to which he belonged until he was 32. His first contact with the working world was as an associate in Nestlé’s advertising department. After working at a consultancy firm, in 1967 he was appointed president of the Wrigley chewing-gum company in Spain, a position he held until 1974.

When he was 45 years old, after leaving the American company Wrigley, Ricardo felt the need to rebuild his life. «I needed a new job. I had been the president of an American company in Spain. I had a good résumé and had several options.» He finally decided to accept the challenge of re-launching a Catalan company that was going through a difficult time. He was asked to try to revive it. It was a subsidiary engaged in the hydrolysis of collagen and elastin proteins, very useful to enrich animal feed.

In those times, the price of soy was sky-high. When after a while the price of soy returned to normal, a miracle occurred. «I discovered by chance that the hands of the workers who touched the amino acids were unusually soft. I assumed at once that those free natural amino acids from collagen, elastin and keratin could have some external cosmetic property.» He decided to ask a chemist friend and a dermatologist to run an effectiveness test including these hydrolysates in a cosmetic cream, in order to know its effectiveness and behavior. The test was a big success. «They certified in writing

the surprising results of the test and recommended that I manufacture and sell the cream with such effective active ingredients, but I didn’t listen to them.» He did not listen to them then, but years later those findings would end up being essential in Ricardo Fisas’s life. He did not know it yet, but he had come across Natura Bissé’s formula, and success.

THE FORMULA FOR SUCCESS

Time went by and a few years later an unexpected event occurred: the com-pany closed down. «All the executives were fired. I signed the settlement of accounts and received the correspond-ing compensation on January 17, 1979, the same day I turned 50. I had never imagined that I would end up on the dole queue, and least of all at 50. I couldn’t accept it. I had to reinvent myself.»

In 1979, a terrible crisis struck Spain. Suspensions of payments were rife, companies were closing down, people were being dismissed and unemploy-ment was increasing like never before in Spain. So Fisas decided to take matters into his own hands and make a state-ment that he has never forgotten. «Like Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind, I swore not to work for other people again and said to myself: With God as my witness, I’ll never work for other people again. I’ll set up my own company and start from nothing.» And that is exactly what he did.

25Countries in which the Natura Bissé brand is present.

59%of turnover is generated abroad.

59%GENERATED

ABROAD

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

NA

TU

RA

BIS

SÉ

4

0 | 4

1

«I had never imagined that I would end up on the dole queue, and least of all at 50. I couldn’t accept it. I had to reinvent myself. »

A NEW PROJECT, LAUNCHED FROM NEED

Fisas decided to put into practice his friends’ advice: to manufacture and market cosmetic products. No sooner said than done. On June 7, 1979, the new company was incorporated before the notary. Natura Bissé International was born. An uncertain adventure lay ahead. «That day we started this wonderful pro-ject, with courage, passion, enthusiasm, and a great deal of effort.»

«We were complete amateurs. We didn’t know the sector. We started the project out of sheer necessity.» Given his ignorance about cosmetics, Fisas tried to lean on the best experts in derma-tological and cosmetic chemistry in order to guarantee the most innovative formulations. «My obsession was to sell cosmetic products that worked, that really achieved what they were meant to achieve.»

EXTENSION OF THE SALES NETWORK

The 80’s was the decade for imple-menting the brand and selling it on the Spanish market. These were very important years, during which Natura Bissé developed all its products based on different skin needs. Fisas’s wife, Maria Gloria, was in charge of commer-cial management, and in a few months she set up a wide sales and distribution network. «Just a few years later we had quite a respectable customer portfolio.» But Ricardo remembers that one of his main worries was to know, beforehand, whether the clients were solvent. «No product came out if we hadn’t first received the money.»

At present, only in Spain, more than 5,000 beauticians use and sell our treatments.

HIGHLIGHT

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

NA

TU

RA

BIS

SÉ

4

2 | 4

3

Natura Bissé sold only five top-quality facial creams. «We sold them at a price 40% more expensive than our competi-tors. We were different in everything: packaging, high-tech products, and an appropriate and elegant approach.» The Natura Bissé brand is trusted and admired. «Each year we sold more than the one before. We were flying high.»

The commercial action chosen by Natura Bissé was the beauty salon channel. «We didn’t have the financial capacity to devise an advertising campaign to generate demand. We preferred to take it slowly, but safely.» Each beautician in a beauty salon became a promoter and a saleswoman for the brand. «We did the right thing. Nowadays, only in Spain, we have over 5,000 beauticians who use and sell our treatments.» Natura Bissé’s reputation spread rapidly. The custom-ers were very pleased. «We made it so that people stopped them on the street to ask them what procedure had they undergone.» Natura Bissé was becom-ing one of the most sought-after brands.

Over a short period of time, Natura Bissé positioned its cosmetic products among the most exclusive brands in global cosmetics. Its dazzling success on such a competitive market has been studied in prestigious universities, which have analyzed its quality, effectiveness, innovation, packaging and its marketing, too, as factors in its success.

DISTRIBUTION TO THE MOST EXCLUSIVE STORES

Thanks to one of its major products, Glyco Peeling, in 1995 Natura Bissé began to market its products in the most prestigious cosmetic department stores in the USA. Neiman Marcus (who recom-mended that they include the «Barcelo-na» brand under «Natura Bissé» in their products), Bergdorf Goodman and Bar-neys New York; and the opening in Dallas of a subsidiary were the first steps taken overseas. The shock wave of its success in the USA spread to other countries and the brand started to be increasingly distributed to the most exclusive stores. Ricardo Fisas had managed to place Natura Bissé among the best.

Fisas remembers that 2001 was a very special year. He received a phone call from the British embassy in Madrid ask-ing for information about the company because Harrods department stores were interested in stocking Natura Bissé’s products. The shock wave caused by the success of sales in the USA had reached London, and American tourists were asking for Natura Bissé. Moreover, the line of products they offered was very complete, top-quality, and was considered an emerging and desired brand. Fisas admits that: «Mrs. Al Fayed, owner of Harrods, bought our products in New York and wanted to have them in her store.»

«My obsession was to sell cosmetic products that worked, that really achieved what they were meant to achieve.»

Fisas recalls that «when we entered Harrods, there was no room for us in the White Hall, where the big cosmetic brands were. They put us in the Beauty Apothecary Room, a secondary area next to the White Hall. We were told that if we met the sales budget they would move us.» And so it was. Six months later, tak-ing advantage of the remodeling of the White Hall, they were moved and placed next to the big brands. On the opening day, October 31, 2002, the Beauty and Fashion Manager said something that had a profound impact on Ricardo and his wife: «‘Here are the 26 most impor-tant cosmetic companies in the world today.’ It was really exciting.»

A few years later, when the brand had become a leader, fully established in a highly competitive market that had long been dominated by the major compa-nies, Natura Bissé began to be stars’ cosmetics range of choice. Julia Roberts is amongst them, and she «can’t stop using our products.»

But they didn’t only make their way onto the American market—in September 2006, they established themselves in the Near East. The company slowly consolidated its position in the region, both in the professional cosmetic market and in sales to the public. Natura Bissé partnered up with both the most exclusive hotel chains and the most se-lect, prestigious department stores. The brand became positioned as one of the most luxurious on the market, for both quality and results.

THE NEW GENERATION TAKES OVER

One of the key years in the history of Natura Bissé was 2008. Once the com-pany had become firmly established, Ricardo Fisas considered it was time for his children to take over. After 29 years in charge of the company, he appointed his daughter Verónica Fisas Vergés manag-ing director and CEO of Natura Bissé. «It was a decision that I didn’t make on my own. I told my children to shut themselves up in a hotel and choose the person who would be in the limelight of business news.» They finally chose Verónica, leader of the second genera-tion of the family. She had the support of a consolidated brand name, a reference to be taken into account on the global cosmetic market, and a team of profes-sionals devoted to consolidating its position in the industry. «I have always been lucky to know how to surround my-self with great professionals, and in the end this has been the key to the success of Natura Bissé.»

Many Hollywood stars are fans of Natura Bissé. These include Julia Roberts, who can’t stop using their products.

HIGHLIGHT

«I have always been lucky to know how to surround myself with great professionals, and in the end this has been the key to the success of Natura Bissé.»

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

NA

TU

RA

BIS

SÉ

4

4 | 4

5

Today, Ricardo Fisas is the president of the company’s Board of Directors. He is not involved in the company’s day-to-day running. «I decided to retire and I have absolute confidence in my children.» Together with his wife, whom he consid-ers «one of the main keys to the success of Natura Bissé,» he has created the Ricardo Fisas Foundation, engaged in social projects. «Maria Gloria was the person who kept our feet on the ground. She has been essential, providing an indispensable balance to the company.» To leave a mark of his life history, Ricardo decided to write the book Pinceladas de una vida. All profits from the autobio-graphical sketch, which he wrote in just three months, go to his foundation.

Ricardo Fisas died in a traffic accident on 21 January 2012 at the age of 83. His children, Verónica, Patricia, Ricardo and Jesús, remain at the helm of a company present in more than 30 countries whose production is concentrated at the Vallès Technology Park in Catalonia.

RICARDO FISASLESSONS LEARNED

1. Surround yourself by top professionals.

2. Establish a clear strategy and an appropriate distribution channel.

3. Be different in everything: packaging, high-tech product, appropriate and elegant approach.

4. The importance of the «Barcelona» brand.

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

HA

VA

S M

ED

IA

46

| 47

LEOPOLDO RODÉSFOUNDER OF TIEMPO AND MEDIA PLANNING, AND PRESIDENT OF HAVAS MEDIA

Advertising Personified

Havas Media, a leading global media group in the European and Latin American markets, forms part of Havas, one of the largest advertising and communications groups worldwide. Present in more than 100 markets, the Havas group has more than 1,000 clients and 4,500 employees. Havas Media analyses the connection between brands and our sense of wellbeing and quality of life through the study “Meaningful Brands for a Sustainable Future”, based on the views of more than 300 brands reported by over 50,000 consumers in 14 different countries.

HAVAS MEDIA

ESTABLISHED 1978(MEDIA PLANNING)

TURNOVER IN 2011 € 11,000 M

EMPLOYEES 4,500

Leopoldo Rodés is, without a doubt, one of the big names in advertising in Spain. He was one of the first people to realize that an intermediary was needed between big brands and the media. Rodés started to work in the film industry. His mother’s family owned cinemas in Barcelona and he worked in the business and studied at the same time. It was his first paid job. Among other things, he was in charge of the movies’ advertising, and so he became interested in the sector.

«That’s when I realized that advertising could be promising.» Without hesita-tion and together with his college friend José Carlos Iriarte, he set up the agency Tiempo. «We had an office not bigger than 15 square meters on Tuset Street. Advertising back then had nothing to do with advertising nowadays. We started from nothing and there were only three of us,» he remembers.

Without much experience in the in-dustry, they started to look for clients. «Advertising back then was limited to having someone who could draw and people with ideas. Besides, I knew about film. Movies had to be advertised and someone had to think of what to say about them. Besides, the means were the same. Campaigns consisted only of one page, half a page or a quarter of a page in La Vanguardia, or ABC. Everything was done by eye. Not much knowledge or experience was needed.» Rodés remembers their first clients perfectly. Sound equipment, some shirts... until the first big account came along: Freixenet. «Back then they sold a million bottles. Now they sell over 220 million.» Rodés was involved in the day-to-day activities of Tiempo until he sold the agency to BBDO.

«We had an office not bigger than 15 square meters. Advertising back then had nothing to do with advertising nowadays. We started from nothing and there were only three of us.»

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

HA

VA

S M

ED

IA

48

| 49

«The advertising industry is complicated. You have to have a strong heart in this business; you cannot suffer from any heart condition because you get startled all the time.»

THE BIRTH OF MEDIA PLANNING

But the chapter on company estab-lishment does not end here, quite the opposite. In 1978 Rodés set up his big agency, Media Planning. «I came up with the idea because I detected that there were two big professional groups in ad-vertising agencies: the creative people and the media.» He admits that these two groups were at odds with each other and that is why he decided to set up an agency that would be exclusively engaged in the media. The first thing he did was to tell his partners at BBDO about it. His boss at a European level, Klaus Wendler, said it made no sense. BBDO did not want to get involved in the operation and Rodés asked for their permission to set up Media Planning on his own. He recalls that his very good friend and then president of BBDO Bruce Crawford reminds him about this decision, which time has proven to be wrong. «The mistake wasn’t that we didn’t set up Media Planning together, but that we failed to see that the adver-tising industry was heading towards the existence of media-specialized compa-nies.» What Rodés was seeking was to speak directly with the advertiser, to be a direct intermediary between brands and the media.

The beginnings of Media Planning were really strong. They won three very important clients that Rodés remembers perfectly: Nestlé, Philips and El Corte Inglés. «We were very lucky to start off with them because they gave us the business volume we needed. The volume was important to get better conditions with the media and provide a newly-born company with more resources.»

They were soon leaders in Spain, Portugal and Mexico. They had made incursions into the Argentinean and Co-lombian markets, and their dominance did not go unnoticed by major commu-nication groups. First they merged with Havas media company, Mediapolis, in which they retained the majority and whose headquarters stayed in Spain. The next step was the merger with the Havas Group itself. «We did not want to sell, but establish an association.»

«The volume was important to get better conditions with the media and provide a newly-born company with more resources.»

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

HA

VA

S M

ED

IA

50

| 51

LEOPOLDO RODÉSLESSONS LEARNED

1. Nobody is irreplaceable.

2. Being present internationally and in many markets is essential to overcome delicate situations.

3. Volume is important in order Volume is important in order Vto get better conditions.

THE GREAT MERGER WITH HAVAS

The merger was sealed in 2001 and Rodés feels that the outcome has been very positive. The control of the company remained in Spain. Fernando, one of his five children, is the Vice President of Havas Group, and Alfonso, another of his sons, is CEO of Havas Media and Deputy CEO of Havas. Leopoldo admits that: «neither of them was hired by me. Fernando was taken on by José Martínez Rovira, founding partner of Media Plan-ning and current global vice-president of Havas Media. It was his decision. Then Alfonso was hired by his brother. Both of them were working in the finance sector before that.»

Havas Media is now growing at a faster pace than the rest of the Group. Even so, Rodés regrets that «advertising is going through unfavorable times, but since we are present in more than 100 countries, delicate situations compensate each other.» In this regard, Rodés admits that the diversification of markets and products is essential for getting around delicate economic circumstances. «The advertising industry is complicated. You have to have a strong heart in this business; you cannot suffer from any heart condition because you get startled all the time. Even so, I owe it everything I am. I started there and there I stay.»

NOBODY IS IRREPLACEABLE

One of Leopoldo Rodés’s major achieve-ments is his involvement in the bid for the 1992 Summer Olympics to be held in Barcelona. He devised one of the most important campaigns in public relations ever, which enjoyed enormous success. «Samaranch told me that the bid was not being appropriately managed. They needed to convince the members of the International Olympic Committee.» Rodés became so involved in the project that he even quit all his professional activity in the agency for a year and nine months. «In my absence, Media Planning achieved the best results of its history until then, which was satisfactory, but also disturbing. I still was very young then and was shown that nobody is ir-replaceable.»

HIGHLIGHT

The diversification of markets and products is essential for overcoming delicate economic circumstances.

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

GR

UP

O P

RO

NO

VIA

S

52

| 53

ALBERTO PALATCHIFOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF GRUPO PRONOVIAS

The Ability to Create Trends

Pronovias was born as a family business, which has become a leading company in bridal fashion. The founding family still manages the group and its expansion process, thus passing on its philosophy of quality and design. Every year, Pronovias designs 850 new models of wedding gowns and evening and cocktail dresses, distributed through its 3,800 points of sale in 90 countries around the world and 150 stores in Spain, either company-owned or franchises.

GRUPOPRONOVIAS

ESTABLISHED 1922

TURNOVER IN 2011 €179 M

EMPLOYEES 738

Alberto Palatchi is the current president of Grupo Pronovias, a company that dresses brides from 90 countries. In order to get to the top, Palatchi has gone through all the stages of the creation of a company. The beginnings of Pronovias go back to the 20’s. Alberto’s father had started to sell lace edging in Barcelona, and he was slowly making a name for himself in the dressmaking industry. He set up the store El Suizo («The Swiss») on Condal Street, where he sold lace and fabrics for brides. Palatchi mentions that people called him «the Swiss man» because he always said that he was from Switzerland. If he revealed his true Turkish origin, he did not sell a thing.

In 1960, Pronovias started to open stores, and was the pioneer of prêt-a-porter wedding dresses. He moved from a green market to a very ripe one in only eight years. This is when young Alberto came on scene. Only 18 years old and a fresh-man in Law School, he decided to join the family business and start to look for ways to get ahead with a company whose di-rection was not very clear. «Three months later we were leading the market.»

The first thing he did was look for a good product. «We didn’t have anything and I bought a French license for wedding dresses. We didn’t have any orders or market, or anything at all.» Then Palatchi thought that the best thing would be for the stores selling the most wedding dresses in each province to market his product. «That’s how we would become leaders in Spain.» He was right. Palatchi went out to sell with an idea for the future. «I told them that the future of wedding dresses was to be found in specialized stores that needed to be

opened.» The reasons, but especially «passion and enthusiasm for the pro-ject» were enough. That is how Pronovias was born, along with a concept that did not exist back then: the franchise.

LEARNING AND GROWTH

The young entrepreneur visited the 90 most successful stores and convinced them of his strategy. «I didn’t even bring the product with me. Just a one-page contract with three points: we gave them exclusive rights, they undertook to buy the product only from us, and we would help them with everything in return.» He had started a business, but now he had to set up a company, and he would eagerly strive to do so.

Palatchi says that as years went by «we grew and learned at the same time.» The late 60’s and early 70’s were «a happy and fruitful time for business. Everything worked out, if it was reasonable,» he admits. For the first ten years, he was engaged solely in laying the foundations of Pronovias: «Setting up the company and the industry.» Back then, his market was made up of a few million people, even though his gaze was set only on Spain. His public was modest, some-thing he is proud of. «We gave women the chance to get married in a wedding dress, when otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to.»

850new models of wedding gowns and evening dresses designed every year.

3,800sales points.

90countries where Pronovias is present.

«We gave women the chance to get married in a wedding dress, when otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to.»

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

GR

UP

O P

RO

NO

VIA

S

54

| 55

lems arose. Production kept increasing and we had to use outside workshops. Palatchi learned that the Americans had long been manufacturing in China. He did not back down, and decided to fly to Asia in search of outside workshops. «The Chinese already knew how to sew. The grounds were there. We were able to conceive of the business in a whole different way. We had the chance to have unlimited production.» They found the first partners in Asia, who are still work-ing for Pronovias today. «When we begin a relationship with someone, we do it for good. We create a bond that people can see in the finished product.»

Palatchi thinks that one of the keys to Pronovias’ success is that «we have always been one step ahead of our competitors. We know how to make a good product and we are great at distributing it.» Moreover, he declares: «the person commanding the ship must be a ‘product man’. He must understand what the company is selling and he must be the best. Because no one is interested in your story. What matters is what you sell.»

EXPORTING TO EUROPE

But in the 80’s Spain suffered a terrible crisis. Palatchi, far from throwing in the towel, looked outside. «I had no choice but to look beyond our borders.» And he set himself a goal: exporting to Eu-rope. He ordered receptionists to pass him over any phone call from abroad. Finally, he received a call from a Dutch woman who sounded very interested in the dresses. First, they sent a few for her to sell in the Netherlands. A few weeks later, she placed an order for 500 dresses more. «It was the first step towards going international.» They started to set up subsidiaries in France, England, Germany and Italy. «Our natural market no longer consisted of 30, but rather 300 million people.» Palatchi thinks that over the course of his profes-sional life, he could have gone faster. «I didn’t have time to study, but I’ve become a really self-taught person over the years.»In the late 80’s, the first prob-

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

GR

UP

O P

RO

NO

VIA

S

56

| 57

A LUXURY CONSUMER BRAND

The company’s first incursions into the Asian market opened the doors to the North American market. Its 300 million potential consumers doubled. Those were times in which the market grew, while the company experienced major changes. «We changed every year and aligned ourselves more with fashion and luxury. We linked our brand to positive things, designers such as Valentino, or well-to-do people’s weddings.» Prono-vias started being a mass-consumption brand and over the years it changed its focus to luxury. From the bottom up. «It’s the hardest path, but we’ve strived to bring the Pronovias name to where we wanted it to be.» One of the keys to achieving this has been communication, especially online. «Around two million people visit our website each month. This generates an overwhelming trade for us. The image of our brands spreads daily throughout the world.» Moreover, opinion leaders are on their side. But Palatchi points out that «above all, our customers value us for our product. We offer them quality, good prices and a great service.»

SPREADING YOUR ENTHUSIASM TO COLLABORATORS

Alberto Palatchi considers that Prono-vias’ success belongs to the whole team of people who work for the company. «The basis of any businesses must be enthusiasm, energy. This is how you pass on positive values that stick to the DNA of the brand and the team. From the very first day we wanted to convey love, enthusiasm, warmth and soul. People can tell that in the end.» But this does not apply only to the in-house staff. «All Pronovias’ collaborators have always perceived passion, never indifference. We’ve managed to get people excited about us.» He thinks that this is one of the obligations of a businessman. «We must convey energy.» Palatchi is proud of the team he has put together. He feels lucky because in these 40 years «the company has always had really good professionals.» He has placed such trust in his people that he would now be able to step away from the company’s day-to-day running. «I do feel I could do it now. I don’t want to, but I will slowly cut down my executive responsibility until I have none, and delegate it to younger, better qualified people.»

«Around two million people visit our website each month. This generates an overwhelming trade for us. The image of our brands spreads daily throughout the world.»

HIGHLIGHT

Pronovias started out as an economy brand, but over the years its focus turned to the luxury market.

LOOKING TOWARDS TO THE FUTURE

For the moment, he still has loads of energy, and Pronovias expects to grow at a fast pace these coming years. Over the next four years they are planning to increase the number of stores from 150 to 400 around the world. «They already have a name, a surname and a location. We have structured it all. We are going all out for Latin America, specifically Mexico and Brazil, and countries such as Japan, Korea and Iran.» Palatchi considers the latter very important. As for Europe and the USA, the growth rate must not come into conflict with Pronovias’ customers. «We must analyze this situation with them, make our moves and try not to stagnate.» As for wholesale distribution to multi-brand wedding dress stores, Pronovias wants to increase its number of sales points from 3,800 in 90 countries to 8,000 in 110 countries. «It is an exciting challenge.»They also plan to diversify pro-duction. Plans are afoot to create a new distribution channel for their evening and cocktail dress collections in thousands of fashion stores –not wedding dress stores– around the world.

IT ALL PAYS OFF IN THE END

The path to success in business is not smooth. Palatchi symbolizes the archetype of the businessman who has built his small empire from nothing. He advises young entrepreneurs to be «persistent, determined and very ambi-tious.» «People must know that they will pay a price that in the end pays off. But it is a price to be paid every day.» He also highlights the importance of having a conservative attitude towards everything related to investments. «A business must be financed with profits. If people want to risk money, they should risk their own, not the bank’s.» One thing is clear: if the project is feasible «you have to try.» The most essential part of a business is to find its raison d’être. Once you’ve found it, the rest comes easily. «The key is never to stop. Sometimes I had to go too slowly because of unresolved inter-nal challenges. And that is never good.»

QUALITY AND DESIGN

The founding family is still managing the company, with Alberto as the president of the Group and at the head of its expansion, passing on the philosophy of quality and design that characterizes his work. This concept is spread throughout the 150 stores and 3,800 sales points in the 90 countries where its brands and products can be found.

The group now has an international team of 738 employees from more than 40 different countries.

HIGHLIGHT

Over the next four years, the number of Pronovias stores is set to increase from 150 to 400 around the world.

2011

2015

150STORES

400STORES

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

GR

UP

O P

RO

NO

VIA

S

58

| 59

ALBERTO PALATCHILESSONS LEARNED

1. It is necessary to be expert in what you sell, and be the best.

2. One of the obligations of a busi-nessman is to motivate people and convey energy.

3. When we start a relationship with someone, it is for forever.

4. You must be self-taught.

5. A business must be financed by the profits it generates.

CREATING TRENDS

More than 70 people, under the inspira-tion of Pronovias’ creative director, Ma-nuel Mota, design around 850 different models of wedding gowns and evening and cocktail dresses every year, as well as more than 2,000 accessories for all the brands of the Group. The design, modeling and pattern-making teams, located in the company’s head office in Barcelona, constantly receive all the in-formation regarding the market, directly from its international store chains and customers, and are always innovating in the manufacture of the most impor-tant collection of wedding fashion in the world.This ability to innovate and set trends that has distinguished the Group’s products internationally is one of the company’s mainstays.

The company’s operation center is located in El Prat de Llobregat, just a few kilometers from Barce-lona. These premises are formed by a 50,000-square-meter complex of build-ings, where the entire creation process is carried out, from cutting, dressmak-ing and finishing to quality control of dresses and accessories.

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

EX

PO

HO

TE

LE

S &

RE

SO

RT

S

60

| 61

ANTONIO MESTREFOUNDER OF EXPO HOTELES & RESORTS

From Carpenter to Hotelier

Expo Hoteles & Resorts is the leading company in exclusive and large-capacity hotels, and offers extensive experience in organizing meetings, incentives and congresses. The firm manages over 2,800 rooms in 8 hotels in Spain, including the well-known Princesa Sofía and Torre Catalunya.

EXPO HOTELES & RESORTS

ESTABLISHED 1976

TURNOVER IN 2011 €113 M

EMPLOYEES 1,700

Antonio Mestre started as a carpenter in a small family business. He was only 16 when he finished his commercial expertise studies and decided to start working. His father was not interested in the economic side of the business or the financial side of the workshop, quite the opposite of Antonio. The first thing he did was to learn the trade. He did so quickly, then immediately focused on the commercial and financial side of the business. He began to study the books of the workshop and realized that his father’s partner was swindling him. They decided to do without him and he sold them his share. «We needed to go out and sell.» Every day, Mestre visited the building sites in the city to offer the workshop’s services. Business began to go well. The small family business became the most important carpentry workshop in Tarragona, which employed around 12 workers.

Antonio Mestre was an entrepreneur and one day he felt that he needed to broaden his horizons. «The city was too small for me. I wanted to leave and start up my own business.» He decided on Spanish Morocco. «People there were determined and hard-working, two qualities that I valued above all.» Mestre left when he was 22, the same day that he married Conchita. They settled in Tetouan and set up a carpentry and metallurgy factory. In just a few years he was earning a good living and was able to open two branches, one in Tangier and the other in Casablanca.

OVERCOMING THE MOST DIFFICULT SITUATIONS

But happiness did not last long. One year after their arrival, a terrorist at-tack in Tangier thwarted their plans. The economy of the country came to a standstill and the factory ceased to make a profit. «It was a severe setback. At 24 and with my wife pregnant with our first son, I saw our hopes for wealth and prosperity shattered.» Then Antonio decided that his wife should return to Tarragona and he himself stayed on to solve all the company’s problems. While he was there, two important events in Antonio’s life occurred. His father died at the early age of 52, and his son was born. When he came back from Tetouan, his son was 8 months old.

A very difficult time began for Antonio and his family. «I had left three years before as a hard-working and active man that people respected. When I returned, I was a failure, just another one of those people who tried their luck abroad and came back empty-handed.» Far from going to pieces, Antonio decided to start over again. He moved to Barcelona. His ability for what he calls «self-genera-tion» helped him through. He found a job in a carpenter’s workshop. He sent half his salary to his wife and son, and used the rest to pay for train tickets to visit his family. «I hardly ate. I starved and lost 20 kilos.» After a while, he got a stable job and became the manager of a leading carpentry workshop.

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

EX

PO

HO

TE

LE

S &

RE

SO

RT

S

62

| 63

His determination to make progress pro-fessionally and be able to pay the rent on a flat in Barcelona so that his family could come and live with him made him accept the proposal of an acquaintance in Tarragona. He offered him to be the sales representative of a metallurgic workshop for a percentage of the sales. «I bought a motorbike on installments and on Saturdays I visited one building site after the other offering them the services of the company I represented.» The confidence that he inspired in his customers earned him a good living and allowed him to turn around what was a very tricky situation.

STARTING OVER AGAIN, ALONE

After a while, the owner of the workshop in Tarragona became swamped by the orders that Antonio was getting him, and could not serve all the products from his small workshop. «I thought that I knew the market well enough to produce some of the orders on my own.» His chance came along when he received an impor-tant order. He left the workshop and said he would never come back. «I saw the opportunity and didn’t want to miss it. I didn’t know the industry, but I thought that if others had done it, then I could very well try.» He judges now that it was the right decision. «It was the key to the business successes that followed.»

MARKET SATURATION

The company grew and grew. Antonio was able to bring his family to live with him in Barcelona. A few years later, they moved to the Pedralbes district. Business went well enough for him to purchase industrial premises and new machinery enabling him to supply quality products faster. Five years later, Antonio’s instinct led him to see that the business was going to end. «The market started to show signs of saturation.» He sold his share to a partner who had joined him, and three years later the company closed down.

«I saw the opportunity and didn’t want to miss it. I didn’t know the industry, but I thought that if others had done it, then I could very well try.»

HIGHLIGHT

In 2010, the Govern-ment of the Canary Islands recognized Antonio Mestre’s outstanding profes-sional career by awarding him the Tenerife Tourism Prize.

A FORWARD-LOOKING APPROACH

«I felt like changing, searching for new ways. I saw that the real estate market was on the increase, and with the profits I got from selling the workshop I started a new venture: I became a property developer.» He began to build, sell and invest again. «In ten years, I built more than 6,000 apartments in Barcelona.» Mestre remembers that this profession entailed significant personal sacrifices. «I always worked long hours, but never as many as back then when I was a developer. Prosperity lasted until 1974. Then the Spanish economy began to show signs of recession and because of the high inflation rate when developers sold their apartments, money had deval-ued so much that they could not afford to buy new building land. «The business was disappearing. I had to look for new options and start over again.»

Antonio decided not to make a radical change. He stayed in the industry, but now he built flats to rent. «I would no longer be a developer; I would invest in something that would increase the value of the building I had erected.» He exchanged some land in front of Sants train station to make an office build-ing and a hotel. In 1976 he built his first hotel: Expo Hotel Barcelona. Antonio Mestre’s true vocation begins here.

A HOTELIER BY TRADE

Mestre started to study his new industry. He realized that in order to supervise hotels personally, the most advisable thing was to build a few large hotels. And that is what he did. When his first hotel began to work well, he was asked to build another one in Valencia. He ac-cepted and built the Expo Hotel Valencia, a big building in the Nuevo Centro area, an important commercial district. After Barcelona and Valencia came Tenerife. He was offered some land to build a large hotel complex. Mestre thought it was an interesting deal and accepted. He started to build the Complejo Mare Nostrum Resort, one of the first hotels on the island and currently one of the largest complexes in Europe, with five hotels and an auditorium seating 1,876.

The complex was built in just eight dizzying years. In 1988, in Playa de las Américas (Arona), the Mediterranean Palace was inaugurated. The following year, on the coast, the hotel Sir Antho-ny opened its doors. Between 1996 and 1997 the Cleopatra Palace, Julio César Palace and Marco Antonio Palace were opened, with almost 200 rooms each and built around an original Roman swimming pool. In 1996 the Pyramid of Arona was also inaugurated, a spec-tacular building that holds one of the largest auditoriums in Europe.

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

EX

PO

HO

TE

LE

S &

RE

SO

RT

S

64

| 65

HIGHLIGHT

When his first hotel began to work well, he was asked to build another one in Valencia. He accepted and built the Expo Hotel Valencia, a large establishment in the Nuevo Centro area, an important commercial district.

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

EX

PO

HO

TE

LE

S &

RE

SO

RT

S

66

| 67

ANTONIO MESTRELESSONS LEARNED

1. Look out for all the opportunities that may come along, but also for signs of risk, recession and saturation.

2. If you fail, don’t be afraid to start over again.

3. Believe in yourself and in your ability to do things well, even if you don’t know the industry deeply.

4. Look for the formula for success –for example, manage just a few hotels, but large ones.

THE PURCHASE OF THE PRINCESA SOFIA

But the expansion process took place on the mainland as well. Towards the end of October 2003, the group acquired the emblematic Hotel Princesa Sofía. «We saw it was for sale and after think-ing about it with our collaborators, we decided that it was a unique opportu-nity.» Mestre remembers that he was interviewed in La Vanguardia and that the title of the article was «The Great Unknown Who Bought the Princesa Sofía.» A year later, in October 2004, they opened a new hotel in Barcelona, the Gran Hotel Torre Catalunya. And thus, he transformed his first office building built in the 70’s into a high-class hotel. He made his last acquisition in June of 2006. «We bought the exclusive Don Carlos Resort & Leisure SPA. With this incorporation, we have 10 hotels in four Spanish cities (Barcelona, Valencia, Tenerife and Marbella), and employ more than 1,500 people.»

The Government of the Canary Islands recognized Antonio Mestre’s outstanding professional career by awarding him the 2010 Tenerife Tourism Prize.

«We bought the exclu-sive Don Carlos Resort & Leisure SPA. With this incorporation, we have 10 hotels in four Spanish cities (Barcelona, Valencia, Tenerife and Marbella), and employ more than 1,500 people.»

HIGHLIGHT

In late-October 2003, the group acquired the emblematic Hotel Princesa Sofía.

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

FL

UID

RA

6

8 | 6

9

ELOI PLANESCEO OF FLUIDRA

Obsession with Internationalization

Fluidra is a company that has had a clear international vocation from the start. In 1969, Joan Planes, together with three partners, started up a company that has become one of the Spanish industrial groups with the greatest international standing. Three years after its incorporation, the firm began to export. In 1974, the first subsidiary was set up in France, and two years later came another, this time in Italy. Fluidra currently has around 3,700 employees and is present in 41 countries on 5 continents.

FLUIDRA

ESTABLISHED 1969

TURNOVER IN 2011 €624 M

EMPLOYEES 3,700

Fluidra is a company that has had a clear international vocation from the outset. In 1969, Joan Planes, together with three partners, started up a company that has since become one of the Spanish industrial groups with the greatest international standing. Its specialty is very clear: solutions for swimming pools, irrigation, water treatment, and fluid handling. Three years after its incorporation, the firm began to export. In 1974, the first subsidiary was set up in France, and this was followed by another, in Italy, two years later.

To get this far, Fluidra has gone through many phases, most of them led by Eloi Planes. He currently is the company’s CEO, but he began in the R&D depart-ment. «My father tricked me. I wasn’t interested in working in the family busi-ness at all, but he knew how to capture my interest, thanks to a Renault 4.» Eloi wanted one very badly, and his father told him that the best way to be able to afford it was to work some hours in his company. «I didn’t think twice, and without knowing quite how, I was soon starting to take on responsibilities.»

He took his first steps in Fluidra next to the person who he considers to be his «main mentor.» Antonio Llastarri was his father’s right hand man, and he was always by his side, guiding him in every decision. «I always say that I was lucky to work with Antonio. Otherwise maybe I wouldn’t have lasted that long in the company.» Eloi Planes joined the firm when he was only 25 years old. Over the years his responsibility increased. Eloi confesses that, «At 28, I was completely in love with Fluidra. I felt it to be mine and that we were going through sweet times for moving ahead.» The dynamism of the industry led the company to grow spectacularly. «We were evolving at a vertiginous pace and that motivated me even more.»

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

FL

UID

RA

7

0 | 7

1

LIVING FOR THE COMPANY

Fluidra became a part of his life and his involvement grew deeper every day. «It is the basis of any business; we need to have people ready to live for the company, committed people. That’s what distinguishes us from other companies.» Fluidra has always taken good care of its partners and investors. In this regard, Planes defines the group Fluidra as a «sum of small companies with deeply enterprising people in charge.»

In five years, Fluidra increased turnover from 200 million euros to 650 million. «We felt we were going at warp speed, but the company was getting stronger all the time.»

With 3,700 employees, Fluidra is currently present in 41 countries on the five continents.

HIGHLIGHT

PICKING UP SPEED

In 2002 he took all the group companies and led their international expansion until reaching the current size. «The growth rate of the company was spec-tacular. We grew and made small acqui-sitions at the same time, without losing our partners.» First, they focused on the European market, and then, without a break, they entered the world market. This expansion coincided with product diversification. «New business lines, but with the same model as always.» In five years, Fluidra increased turnover from 200 million euros to 650 million. «We felt we were going at warp speed, but the company was getting stronger all the time.»

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PARTNERS

The partners were a very important part of Fluidra’s structure. «Finding the right partner, having an idea, managing it appropriately and, above all, feeling pas-sion for the project is essential for the success of the project.» Besides, Planes points out three major indispensable elements in order to go international successfully. First of all, «stepping onto the market, knowing the sector you want to establish yourself in thoroughly.» Secondly, «knowing the people involved very well and having a lot of contact with them and their families.» Finally, choosing the right moment. «We become established in a very natural way, the process usually takes us around two years.» He considers that «the key to going international is to adapt yourself as much as possible to the lifestyle of the market you want to enter, being from there. In Seville we are Andalusian; in Australia, Australian. We are very flex-ible, but not only in theory; we pack our things and… hit the road.» He admits that «you have to travel around and not settle for the first thing you see.»

69%Swimming pools.

17%Water treatment.

8%Fluid handling.

6%Irrigation.

Fluidra’s sales by business unit.

HIGHLIGHT

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

FL

UID

RA

7

2 | 7

3

ELOI PLANESLESSONS LEARNED

1. Work with committed people who live for the company.

2. The keys to going international are:

• Stepping into and knowing the market very well before implementation.

• Knowing the people involved very well.

• Choosing the right moment.

GOING PUBLIC AND CRISIS ON THE HORIZON

2006 was a very important year for the company. It was time to find out «what we wanted to do and how far we were willing to go.» Banco Sabadell had entered the Board of Directors. «It was a good moment to take a step forward.» They decided to go public. «It was a deci-sion we made together. My father gave me some very good advice. He told me that it wasn’t my decision to make. He told me that we had to reach a conclu-sion together.» And they did; in 2007, Fluidra started to quote on the stock exchange. For Eloi this step «was one of the nicest I’ve experienced; it’s very enriching.»

One year after going public, Fluidra began to feel the first symptoms of the crisis. «Sales started to drop and we thought that everything we had built would fall down like a house of cards.» In this discouraging situation, Planes confesses that they had two big strokes of luck. The first one was having a very professional Board of Directors. «They warned us that the situation would get worse and that we had to adapt ourselves to a new reality. The second stroke of luck was that we knew how to align our 100 main executives, and the Group responded really favorably. They understood the situation and accepted our decisions.» It was a difficult year, but in 2010 Fluidra started to see the light. «We withstood and now we keep looking forward. Fluidra is a solid, pow-erful, integrated company with its own R&D, manufacturing, and distribution network, and ours is an industry of the future: sustainable water use.»

«We withstood and now we keep looking forward. Fluidra is a solid, powerful, inte-grated company with its own R&D, manufac-turing, and distribution network, and ours is an industry of the future: sustainable water use.»

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

MA

NG

O

74

| 75

ISAK ANDICFOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF MANGO

The Virtue of Seeing the Future

Mango is one of the largest exporting companies in the European textile industry. It has more than 2,500 points of sale in 108 countries, and classifies and distributes 30,000 articles of clothing per hour. In 2011, the group opened more than 700 points of sale around the world. Nowadays, Mango remains in hands of its founders, executives and employees; the firm belongs, therefore, to the people who are directly involved in it.

MANGO

ESTABLISHED 1984

TURNOVER IN 2011 €1,408M

EMPLOYEES 11,000

The Mango story started in the spring of 1970, when Isak, who was only 17 years old, was offered the opportunity to sell a few Turkish blouses. It was the age of the hippy, and it was not hard for him to find a store that would buy all the stock. He was studying at the time, and spent his afternoons and free time selling those blouses. From the very first day, he decided to use the profits he made to buy more blouses and continue to search for stores to sell his stock.

After the summer, and always reinvest-ing the profit made, the Turkish blouses gave way to Afghan coats. Isak remem-bers this step as «one of the first diffi-culties I overcame as a businessman.» He decided to spend all the money he had earned on a new product, although he was not certain that it would work out. Luckily, the coats became very popular, and he was able to place them quite easily. Soon afterwards, Isak had already bought his first car, and filled it with merchandise to travel around Spain selling his imported clothes. «The key was that everybody seemed to wear a uniform back then. Every-body dressed the same in Spain.» Isak imported new clothes, completely different from what was seen on the streets. After Afghan coats there were wooden clogs, Bolivian sweaters with a llama embroidered on them, or Italian and Icelander snow coats. Each one was different, but Isak applied the same formula: to reinvest the profits in the acquisition of new clothing.

IT ALL STARTED BY CHANCE

It is true that someone offered Isak the chance to sell those hand-embroidered blouses, but it is also true that from the very first day, he showed great respon-sibility and ambition to make the most of opportunities like that one. From then on, he always wanted more. He remem-bers that one of his motivations was: «the responsibility that my family had placed on me, coupled with the determi-nation that they should continue to enjoy the same comforts that they had had before immigrating to Barcelona».

One year after starting to sell blouses, Isak opened his first multi-brand store in Barcelona. He hired 4 people, and two years later he already had 30 workers, who distributed the products he bought. Without knowing it, he was laying the foundations of a company that nowa-days employs over 11,000 people and distributes fashion wear to more than 2,500 stores in 108 countries.

11,000workers.

108countries where Mango is present.

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

MA

NG

O

76

| 77

TRUST IN THE TEAM

Isak is aware of one of the keys to his success: «Having a trustworthy team and learning to delegate.» Proof of this is that soon he could count on his brother and his very good friend Isak Halfon. One was in charge of the multi-brand stores; the other, of wholesale distribution, and Isak himself was responsible for searching for and buying new products to market. Today, 40 years later, both of them remain by his side as partners and executives of Mango.

Isak and his partners continued with the multi-brand product strategy until 1984, when they realized that there was no future in it. «The way forward was to have a clear concept, brand and image.» After many sleepless nights, Isak and his partners created the brand Mango and the first design centre to be able to manufacture the clothes. This meant leaving the company in his brother’s hands and going to Sabadell to find large premises to house production, hire de-signers, seamstresses, pattern makers, cutters and so on. This was an impor-

tant challenge too, because until then Isak had only been buying and selling clothing, and all this was new to him. He remembers that something unexpected used to happen every day: faulty stock, a machine breaking down, the design not right… From those years he learned a very important lesson: «Regardless of whether you are engaged in your own production or not and where this produc-tion is carried out, the important thing is to focus your business on distribution. In production you are never sure how much it costs to manufacture a piece of cloth-ing and, moreover, the cost is different every day, whereas in distribution it is easier to set a margin according to the selling and purchasing prices.»

Another key was the incorporation of Enric Casi, Mango’s current general manager and partner. He and the team he built were responsible for Mango’s lo-gistics. Even today, Enric still is a partner in the company.

HIGHLIGHT

Isak and his partners continued with the multi-brand product strategy until 1984, when they realized that there was no future in it.

1984

2011

CROSSING BORDERS

They started exporting in 1990. Portugal and France, due to their proximity, were the first countries to see the landing of the Mango brand. «When going interna-tional it is very important to follow the natural paths and take advantage of facilities or synergies that a company may have in each country, whether it is proximity, customers, or distributors.»

Despite the synergies with Portugal and France, another important challenge came along that Isak Andic had to face. «The business model we had applied until that moment was no longer useful to continue to expand infinitely.» So they decided to open the first fran-chises. «That entailed a really important change in the company’s activity. Until then we were engaged in designing, manufacturing and distributing jeans and blouses, and now we would have to develop architecture, interior design and furniture projects.» This activity was completely new to Isak and his partners, but once again they were brave and decided to face this new challenge as a necessary step to transform Mango into an international company. Today, after building a team of more than 80 interior designers who work hard to open more than 400 stores a year, it would seem that making that decision was easy. However, one thing that Isak remembers the most was «the long sleepless nights thinking about the new unknown world of franchises.»

«We want to become one of the three most impor- tant textile distribution companies, in terms of turnover, in the world.»

80interior designers working on stores

400new stores a year.

GROWING SO AS NOT TO BE SWALLOWED UP

One of the keys allowing Mango to over-come difficulties is the passion of Isak and his team for what they do. And that made them set themselves higher goals each day. «First we wanted to be at the same level as the best fashion chains in Barcelona, then in Spain and finally, in the world.» They get a kick out of setting themselves higher goals daily. He admits that: «stopping would bore us to death; it would make us old!»

«The difference between a young person and an old one is the projects they have.» That is why Mango’s executives, despite their long years of experience, always try to think of new projects. Right now, they want to double sales in the next four years. It would be like building a new Man-go in four years. And not only that— they have already defined their next goal. «We want to become one of the three most important textile distribution companies, in terms of turnover, in the world.»

Isak expresses this ambition to grow by using the example of the Chinese culture. «They are a very ambitious people. We Europeans would be happy with just a few millions in turnover. They would not be happy even with 5,000 million euros. That’s why we must be strong and keep on grow-ing in order not to be gobbled up. To achieve that, it’s very important to take good care of two key factors: the brand and the people.»

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

MA

NG

O

78

| 79

«The business model we had applied until that moment was no longer useful to continue to expand infinitely. So they decided to open the first franchises.»

In Isak’s opinion, all companies, whether large or small, should apply Mango’s motto. «A company has to improve every day, but every five years there has to be a big change.»

«There is always a moment in a com-pany’s life when things are going well. You earn profits and it would seem at first sight things around you have no reason to change. Your business is run-ning smoothly on its own inertia. But that’s when you must really pay atten-tion and respond to the big changes that your industry may experience, because otherwise, without your knowing why, profits will start to decrease and your business will drop.»

We all have strengths and weaknesses. «We businesspeople have the ability to see the future; you don’t know why, but you have a special instinct to see new trends.»

STAYING ALERT AND KNOWING WHEN TO ACT

No matter how many years go by, each new investment in the company entails countless sleepless nights. No matter how experienced you are or how many times you have analyzed the alterna-tives, the thought is always the same: «If this goes wrong, we’ll hit the ground.» A good example of this is the decision to buy a new production plant, more than 50,000 square meters for 1,000 million pesetas, in Palau-Solità i Plegamans in 1995. At first, more than half the space was empty, but in just one year the whole plant was occupied, and two years later they had to make an extension equal to half the space initially planned.

Isak states that: «growing and becoming larger and larger is a challenge we like. We set ourselves really high goals and announce them, so that people know about them, and we make a public com-mitment. This way the team is devoted to the task and motivated, and the drive is even bigger.» In order to be able to continue growing and have a wider perspective, they created an executive council. All its members are partners of the company. They then proceeded to do the same on the next level up, so that the executive committee, Mango’s brain, would feel more part of the company, that the company would feel more like something of their own.

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

MA

NG

O

80

| 81

ISAK ANDICLESSONS LEARNED

1. Surround yourself with a good team and delegate to and trust in them.

2. Always want more, set yourself ambitious goals.

3. Make difficult things simple.

4. Improve every day, but make big changes every 5 years.

5. Don’t be afraid to put good ideas into practice.

GOOD PEOPLE, GREAT PROFESSIONALS

Isak defines Mango’s employees as peo-ple who must have two essential quali-ties. «The first one is to be a good person, and the second, to be a great profes-sional. In fact, the perfect mix would be for all employees to have 50% of both qualities. Thus, as we are all good people and great professionals, you make sure that no disappointments arise.»

A good example of a change made five years after another big change was mov-ing part of the production outside Spain. Mango was almost lacking margin due to high manufacturing costs in Spain. So they started looking for new locations, and nowadays they are producing in China, India, Vietnam, Turkey and North Africa. Once again, seen in perspective, this step seems like an obvious and easy decision to make, but it must be taken into account that Mango was one of the first companies to move its production to Asia, and so it became an example for thousands of other firms that did the same in the following years.

Just as businesspeople have the ability to see the future, many times they must make decisions regarding the visions of other partners or team members. This is also a difficult step, but one that is in line with a rule mentioned previously: «If it is a good idea, you should at least give it a try.» This is what they did with a new distribution strategy for franchises set forth by one of the partners. The pro-posal consisted of having the merchan-dise on consignment, so that it could be returned if it was not sold. This strategy was very different from the one used until then, which was making the fran-chises buy the stock they thought they would need in advance. Isak admits that it was really hard for him to accept this proposal, but in the end they decided to put it into practice, and the result was excellent. They doubled sales in fran-chises right away. What better proof that theirs was a truly brilliant idea?

«Growing and becoming larger and larger is a challenge we like. We set ourselves really high goals and announ-ce them, so that people know about them, and we make a public com-mitment. This way the team is devoted to the task and motivated, and the drive is even bigger.»

CR

ED

ITS

Council of Editions and PublicationsOf Barcelona City Council

ChairJaume Ciurana i Llevadot

MembersJordi Martí GalvisMarc Puig GuàrdiaMiquel Guiot RocamoraJordi Joly LenaVicente Guallart FurióÀngel Miret SerraMarta Clari PadrósJosep Lluís Alay RodríguezJosep Pérez FreijóPilar Roca Viola

Published byAjuntament de Barcelona – Barcelona Activa, 2012Llacuna, 162-164. 08018 Barcelonawww.bcn.cat/barcelonactiva

Directed and coordinated by

BARCELONA ACTIVASusanna Tintoré, Executive Director of Services to Companies and EmploymentJaume Baró, Enterprise Department DirectorMaria Vilà, Comunication Departament Director

ERNST & YOUNGLuis Buzzi FagundoLlorenç López CarrascosaQuim Martínez BoschRebeca Salas Nisbet

Texts byMarc Morató Pallarols

Translation byEscarlata Guillén Pont

Edited and printed byAra Idees - Ara Llibres, SCCLwww.arallibres.cat

All rights reserved.© This edition, Barcelona City Council.© Texts, the authors.© Photographs, Barcelona Activa

and the firms mentioned.

ISBN: 978-84-15224-75-4LD: B-15207-2012

Printed on ecological and recycled paperPrinted and bound in the European Union

www.bcn.cat/publicacions

LEA

DIN

G E

NTE

RP

RIS

ES

AN

D E

NTR

EP

RE

NE

UR

S

82 |

83

Cofinanced by

European UnionEuropean Regional Development Fund

“A way to make Europe”

TOUSGRUPO PLANETABODEGAS TORRESGRUPO INDUKERNNATURA BISSÉHAVAS MEDIAGRUPO PRONOVIASEXPO HOTELES & RESORTSFLUIDRAMANGO

PVP 18 EUROS

9 7 8 8 4 9 8 0 3 3 8 3 09 7 8 8 4 9 8 0 3 3 8 3 09 7 8 8 4 9 8 0 3 3 8 3 09 7 8 8 4 9 8 0 3 3 8 3 09 7 8 8 4 9 8 0 3 3 8 3 0

ISBN 978-84-15224-75-4